About Association of Public & Land-grant Universities

APLU is a membership organization that fosters a community of university leaders collectively working to advance the mission of public research universities. The association’s membership consists of nearly 250 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations spanning across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, six U.S. territories, Canada, and Mexico. Annually, member campuses enroll 5.3 million undergraduates and 1.4 million graduate students, award 1.4 million degrees, employ 1.3 million faculty and staff, and conduct $61 billion in university-based research.

Cooperative Extension is a congressionally established, educational system designed to connect communities to Land Grant Universities (LGU) and to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. Cooperative extension is coordinated at the national level by the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP), a leadership and governing board representing the 76 state, territory, and 1890 LGU Extension Programs.